The Heist
by J. B. Tilton
Summary: The Charmed Ones are blackmailed into stealing a priceless work of art by a thief who knows their secret.


CHARMED  
"THE HEIST"  
by J. B. Tilton  
  
Rating: G  
  
Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are  
the property of the WB television network, except for those  
characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan  
fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.  
  
* * *  
  
The Charmed Ones are blackmailed into stealing a priceless  
work of art by a thief who knows their secret.  
  
* * *  
  
ONE  
  
"Phoebe," called Paige from the bottom of the stairs, "Phoebe,  
come here."  
  
"What is it?" asked Phoebe, coming down the stairs.  
  
"Those friends of yours," said Paige, "the ones who live down  
the street. Isn't their name Blackmon?"  
  
"Yeah, why?" asked Phoebe.  
  
Paige motioned her into the living room as Piper and Leo came  
out of the kitchen to see what was going on. The television was on  
and the anchorman from one of the local stations was talking. A  
telephone number showed at the bottom of the screen.  
  
"Amanda Blackmon was reported missing by her mother on  
Thursday afternoon," said the reporter. "The six year old has a  
mild heart condition which could become life threatening if she  
doesn't take medication for it regularly. Anyone having any  
knowledge of Amandas' whereabouts is asked to call the number  
on the screen or to contact the nearest police."  
  
"He said they think someone abducted her," said Paige.  
  
"Oh my God, why?" asked Phoebe. "Mike works for a delivery  
company. They don't have any money. Why would anyone want  
to kidnap Amanda?"  
  
"There could be other reasons for the kidnaping," said Leo.   
"Money is only one possible motivation."  
  
"You sound like Darryl," said Piper.  
  
"We have to go help," said Phoebe.  
  
"Sure, sweetie," said Piper, "no problem. But just calm down.   
You aren't going to do anyone any good if you get all worked up."  
  
"Okay," said Phoebe, calming herself. "I'm going over there and  
see if I can help. Maybe I can get a premonition or something  
where she's at."  
  
"Good idea," said Piper. "Paige, call the television station and  
find out everything they now."  
  
"Right," said Paige.  
  
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Leo. "This isn't  
exactly what THEY had in mind when THEY gave you your  
powers."  
  
"Leo, honey," said Piper, "we're supposed to protect the  
innocent, right? Well, what could be more innocent than a six year  
old girl?"  
  
"Point taken," said Leo. "Only, let's be careful. If Phoebe is  
their friend, this could be a ploy to draw the three of you out. That's  
all I'm saying."  
  
"Then God help the demon or whatever that took her," said  
Phoebe, "because they'll get no mercy from me."  
  
"The station didn't have anything more than they reported," said  
Paige, putting the phone down. "She just disappeared the day  
before yesterday right out of her back yard."  
  
"Okay," said Piper. "Let's go see what we can find out. Maybe  
Phoebe will get a premonition. If not, let's get something of  
Amandas' that we use to scry for her with. At least we might be  
able to find out where she is."  
  
The sisters and Leo left eh manor and started down the front  
steps. As they did, a man wearing a suit came walking up the  
sidewalk.  
  
"Perfect timing," said the man. "Just the four I wanted to speak  
with."  
  
"Sorry, mister," said Phoebe. "Whatever you're selling, it will  
have to wait. We're kind of in a hurry right now."  
  
"I'm not selling anything, Phoebe," said the man. "I'm trading."  
  
At the mention of her name, Phoebe stopped cold and looked at  
the man. He reached inside his coat and removed a photograph.   
He handed it to Phoebe. She looked at it and a look of fear  
crossed her face. She showed the photograph to the others.  
  
It was a picture of Amanda Blackmon. She was holding a  
newspaper that clearly showed todays' date. Nothing in the  
photograph suggested where she might be.  
  
TWO  
  
"She's safe," said the man, "for now. I suggest we all go inside  
and discuss this like rational adults."  
  
"If you've hurt her, you son of a . . . " began Phoebe.  
  
"Now, now," said the man. "That's no language for a lady. I  
said she's safe. If everything goes as planned, you'll have her back  
safe and sound before midnight. Shall we?"  
  
He gestured toward the front door. They all filed back into the  
house and took seats in the living room.  
  
"My name is Harry Paine," said the man, taking out a lighter and  
setting the photograph on fire. He then threw the photograph into  
the fireplace and watched as it burned. "I make a living acquiring  
certain objects for certain people. People who pay quite  
handsomely, I might add."  
  
"He's a professional thief," said Paige unceremoniously.  
  
"Thief is such a harsh word," said Paine. "I prefer to think of  
myself as an acquisitions experts. Providing a valuable service for  
a not so modest fee."  
  
"What do you want?" demanded Piper. "You mentioned  
something about a trade."  
  
"So I did," said Paine. He removed another photograph from his  
coat. "It's very simple. You get this for me, and, in return, you get  
the girl back unharmed."  
  
The photograph was of an exquisitely carved green dragon  
studded with precious gems. It sat in a glass display case. The  
backdrop appeared to be that of a museum.  
  
"The Mind Dragon," said Leo. "Hand carved from about twenty  
pounds of pure jade."  
  
"Twenty five pounds, actually," corrected Paine.  
  
"It was carved in the twelfth or thirteen century," continued Leo,  
"as a wedding present for a Chinese emperor. Since then, it's  
become a Chinese icon. It's worth a fortune."  
  
"You want us to get this?" asked Paige. "That shouldn't be  
hard. We just catch a slow boat to China."  
  
"Actually," said Paine, "it's right here in San Francisco. For the  
past six months it's been on loan to the United States. It's been  
touring museums in various cities. This is the last stop for it. In  
approximately seventy two hours, they crate it up and send it back  
to China. I want it before that happens."  
  
"You're the thief," said Phoebe. "Why not just steal it yourself?"  
  
"I don't have the time to get around the security on it," said  
Paine. "That shouldn't be a problem for you. At least two of you.   
A witch and a whatever it is that Leo is."  
  
They all just stared at him in surprise.  
  
"Oh, don't be so shocked," said Paine. "You'd be surprised  
what you can learn about someone if you watch them long enough.   
I'm sure you remember a while back when your oldest sister, Prue,  
rest her soul, saved a young woman from committing suicide. I  
found it amazing how she just happened to be on the roof of that  
building at just the right moment. Then, when the woman fell, Prue  
was suddenly back on the street again. And with a wave of her  
hand, the woman landed unharmed."  
  
"You're imagining thins," said Piper.  
  
"Am I?" asked Paine. "I don't think so. I remember thinking  
how useful those abilities would be for someone in my line of work.   
Not to mention your other abilities.  
  
"Piper Wyatt. You have the ability to freeze things. All sorts of  
things. Including motion detectors, heat sensors, surveillance  
cameras, that sort of thing.  
  
"Phoebe Halliwell. Proficient in the martial arts and often has  
visions of the future. And recently acquired the ability to self  
levitate, I understand.  
  
"Paige Matthews. Half sister to the others. I'm not sure what  
you can do just yet. Presumably, you inherited Prues' powers once  
she passed away. I understand that's how it works. But you're  
probably too new with your powers to be really effective with them  
yet.  
  
"You see, one of my previous clients claimed to be a warlock.   
He had some unusual powers himself. When I discovered what  
Prue could do, I had a little chat with him. He called you the  
Charmed Ones. Witches with special powers.  
  
"Now, Leo Wyatt. The warlock didn't mention you. What are  
you? Some kind of angel or something? The way you can just  
disappear and reappear somewhere else almost instantly is  
amazing. I wish I knew that little trick."  
  
The Charmed Ones and Leo just stared at Paine in disbelief. It  
appeared he knew almost everything about them.  
  
THREE  
  
"You seem to know a great deal," said Piper.  
  
"I do my homework," said Paine. "I knew if I waited long  
enough, I'd find a use for your abilities. Now seems as good a time  
as any. I'll make enough on this one piece to retire comfortably."  
  
"Assuming we buy all this," said Phoebe. "If we do agree to  
help you, how would you suggest we get this Jade Dragon for  
you?"  
  
"I have it all planned out," said Paine. "Leo and Piper phase  
into the museum, or whatever you call it. With Pipers' ability to  
freeze things, she just freeze everything in the room. Then you just  
pick up the statue without setting off any alarms. After that, Piper  
unfreezes the room, and she and Leo can phase out of the  
museum. No one will ever be able to figure out how it was done,  
and there will be no connection to me."  
  
"And we get Amanda back?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"Safe and unharmed," said Paine.  
  
"You're crazy," said Leo. "We can't do that."  
  
"You really have no choice," said Paine. He handed Leo a  
piece of paper. "Be at this address at precisely ten forty five  
tonight. I will tell you that if you don't show up, you will never see  
me again. Or the girl, for that matter. In addition, I'll have a chat  
with a journalist friend of mine. I'm sure he'd find my tale of your  
abilities very enlightening. Who knows? You might even make the  
front page."  
  
Paine didn't say another word. He just stood up and left the  
manor. No one made a move to stop him. Each knew that if they  
tried anything, Amandas' life would be at stake. They would have  
to think of another way to save her.  
  
"What do we do?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"I say we meet him and beat the daylights out of him until he  
tells us where she is," suggested Paige.  
  
"That's a good plan," said Piper sarcastically. "What if he won't  
talk? Or if he's working with someone else who's watching  
Amanda? Amanda could be dead before any of us can get to her."  
  
"Besides," said Leo, "we can't risk him telling anyone about you  
or me. We can't take the chance that someone might actually  
listen to him and come snooping around."  
  
"Good point," said Phoebe. "One close brush with reporters is  
all I can handle. Especially considering the cost."  
  
They all knew what Phoebe meant. If that reporter hadn't  
caught them using their powers on tape, Prue might still be alive.   
None of them wanted to risk that ever again.  
  
"We don't have a choice," said Piper. "We're talking about the  
life of a six year old girl. All we can do is do what Paine wants and  
hope we can stop him somehow."  
  
"I'll go see what I can find out about Mr. Paine," said Leo. He  
orbed out.  
  
"Well, he has the right name," said Paige. "He's a real pain in  
the . . .."  
  
"Let's just keep our heads," interrupted Piper. "Let's try to think  
of some way out of this."  
  
FOUR  
  
It was ten forty five and Leo and Piper stood at the corner where  
Paine had said to meet him. A car pulled up next to them and  
Paine smiled at them from the drivers' seat.  
  
"Punctual," he said. "I like that. Get in."  
  
Leo and Piper did as he said. They sat in the back seat. In the  
front passenger seat was a satchel.  
  
"What's that?" asked Leo.  
  
Paine opened the satchel and removed what looked like the  
same dragon as the one in the photograph.  
  
"A cheap knock off," said Paine. "But it does weigh exactly the  
same as the original. It should take them days to notice the switch.   
Time enough for me to disappear forever."  
  
He opened a polled up paper and spread it out on the front seat.   
It looked like the floor plan to a building.  
  
"The statue is here," said Paine, indicating one large room.   
"You two will phase in here." He indicated a smaller room next to  
the larger one. "It's a small anteroom next to the main room. Piper  
will freeze everything in the room. Then you can make the switch.   
Once that's done, you go back to the anteroom and unfreeze  
everything. Then you simply phase back here."  
  
"Sounds simple enough," said Piper.  
  
"Except that it won't work," said Leo.  
  
"You're not trying to pull anything, are you?" asked Paine  
suspiciously.  
  
"I'm only pointing out," said Leo, "that I'm forbidden from  
knowingly perform an evil act. There's no way I can steal the  
statue, since stealing is considered an evil act."  
  
"Make sense," said Paine. "Okay, then she'll get the statue."  
  
"The minute she does," said Leo, "she'll be stripped of her  
powers. Everything will unfreeze and the alarms will go off."  
  
"Then you just phase her out," said Paine, his patience wearing  
thin.  
  
"Once the alarms go off," said Leo, "she'll be caught on tape. If  
I phase her out, it would be considered my helping her to escape  
prosecution. Again, it's considered an evil act.  
  
"There's only one way to get that statue. You'll have to get it  
yourself. I can phase us all in. Then Piper will freeze the room.   
You switch the statues, then I phase us out. No violations of the  
code and no one looses their powers. And you get your statue."  
  
"And you conveniently forget to phase me out with the both of  
you," said Paine. No deal."  
  
"I give you my word," said Leo, "I will bring you out with us."  
  
"And I'm supposed to just trust you?" asked Paine.  
  
"I'm an angel, remember?" asked Leo. "I can't lie. And I can't  
break my word."  
  
"That sounds reasonable," said Paine. "But if you phase me  
out, wouldn't that be considered helping me to escape prosecution,  
too?"  
  
"Not until the police suspect you," said Leo. "Unless you're  
seen, I'm not helping you avoid anything. And like you said; there's  
nothing to link you to it."  
  
"Okay," said Paine. "What you say makes sense. But I'm  
warning you. You try anything funny and you'll never see the girl  
again."  
  
"No tricks," said Leo. "You have my word."  
  
Piper and Paine took Leos' arm and he orbed them into the  
museum. They appeared in the anteroom that Paine had indicated  
on the floor plan. It looked to Piper like any other museum she had  
seen.  
  
In the center of the next room sat the Jade Dragon. It was as  
beautiful as it was in the photograph. It sat in a glass case, lit up  
with lights around the inside of the case. In the corners of the room  
where the walls joined the ceiling were four video cameras. Piper  
raised her hands but nothing seemed to happen.  
  
"Are you sure everything's frozen," whispered Paine.  
  
"I'm sure," said Piper, nearly shouting. "All you have to do is go  
get the statue. Then give us the girl."  
  
Paine just smiled. Cautiously, he walked into the room a step.   
He looked at each of the cameras but nothing happened. No bells,  
no whistles, no alarms. Confidently, he walked over to the display  
case holding the dragon.  
  
Carefully, he removed the glass case, then froze as if he  
expected the alarms to go off. Nothing happened. Smiling, he  
picked up the dragon and admired it for a moment. He put it on the  
floor, removed the copy, and put the copy in the display case. He  
replaced the glass case, put the original in the satchel, then walked  
back to where Leo and Piper waited for him.  
  
"Okay," he said. "Let's get out of here."  
  
"No," said Leo.  
  
"What is this?" demanded Paine. "We had a deal."  
  
"I'll keep my end," said Leo. "I'll phase us out. Once you tell us  
where the girl is."  
  
"How do I know I can trust you?" asked Paine.  
  
"How many times do we have to go over this?" asked Leo. "I'm  
an angel, remember? Tell us where the girl is, and you have my  
word. I'll take us out of here."  
  
Paine thought for a moment. He knew he couldn't get out by  
himself. Piper had frozen only that room. Still, Leo was an angel.   
And everyone knew that angels can't lie.  
  
"An apartment building on Lexington," said Paine. "It was  
gutted by fire a few months ago. They're renovating it. She's on  
the first floor, third door on the right. And as I promised, she's  
unharmed. Maybe a little frightened, but that's it. Now, keep your  
word. Phase us out."  
  
"Just a minute," said Piper. "I need to unfreeze everything."  
  
She raised her hands, but again, nothing seemed to happen.   
Then she nodded to Leo, who orbed the three of them out of the  
museum.  
  
FIVE  
  
When they finished orbing, they weren't by Paines' car, as he  
had expected. Instead, they stood in what appeared to be a  
janitors closet. Cleaning equipment and chemicals filled the room.  
  
"Piper," said Leo, smiling slightly.  
  
Paine started to say something but was frozen by Piper before  
the sound could escape his throat.  
  
"Wait here," whispered Leo. "I'll be right back."  
  
He orbed out leaving Piper and the frozen Paine alone in the  
closet. Tentatively, Piper cracked the door to the closet and  
peered out. They were in the middle of a police station. She  
quickly closed the door and waited patiently for her husband to  
return. Leo orbed back in a few minutes later.  
  
"Amanda is safe," he said. "I orbed her to Phoebe and Paige."  
  
"What's going on?" asked Piper.  
  
"I'll explain," said Leo. "But first, I need you to freeze everyone  
out there."  
  
Piper made a sweeping motion with her hand toward the door.   
Leo cracked the door and peered out. Everyone in the outer room  
was frozen in place.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Piper.  
  
"I promised I'd orb him out of the museum," said Leo. "I didn't  
say where I'd orb him out to."  
  
"Sneaky," said Piper.  
  
"Help me get him out there," said Leo.  
  
He and Piper picked Paine up and carried him from the closet  
out to the police filled room. They sat him on one of the waiting  
benches facing the desk sergeants' desk. Leo then removed the  
statue of the Jade Dragon and placed it on Paines' lap; directly in  
view of everyone in the room.  
  
"When you unfreeze everyone," said Leo, "he'll be in full view of  
two shifts of policemen. With the dragon in plain sight. I'd like to  
see him talk his way out of this."  
  
"Did I say sneaky?" asked Piper. "I take that back. You're not  
sneaky. You're devious. Maybe I'd better keep my eye on you  
from now on."  
  
Leo just smiled.  
  
"I wasn't always a White Lighter, you know?" he said. "Come  
on. Let's get back to the closet."  
  
They moved back to the janitors' closed and Leo closed the  
door, all but a crack. They smiled at each other, then Piper unfroze  
the room filled with cops.  
  
"Hey," said Paine, now able to say what he had begun to say  
when Piper had frozen him, "what's going on here?"  
  
Everyone in the room looked at Paine who was sitting on the  
bench with the dragon in plain view. An officer wearing a suit and a  
badge hanging from the breast pocket stepped up to him.  
  
"Well, well, if it isn't Harry Paine," said the detective. "What's  
that you've got there? Looks like that Chinese statue they have on  
display at the museum. Come on, Harry. Let's have a little chat."  
  
The detective picked up the statue while two uniformed officers  
escorted them back to an interrogation rooms. Paine didn't say a  
word, he just kept looking around as if he had lost something. Leo  
smiled and Piper actually giggled. Then, Leo orbed them back to  
the manor.  
  
SIX  
  
"The look on Paines' face was priceless," said Piper, after she  
and Leo had explained what had happened. "You should have  
seen it. He was totally lost."  
  
"I wish I had been there," said Phoebe, laughing. "It serves him  
right, using a child like that."  
  
"Aren't you afraid he might tell everyone about us?" asked  
Paige.  
  
"I'm not worried," said Leo. "I don't think anyone will take him  
seriously once they find out he stole the Ming Dragon. He'll be too  
busy trying to explain how he got the dragon."  
  
"So," said Piper, "what about Amanda? How's she doing?"  
  
"Great," said Phoebe. "She got her medication and there  
doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her. At least Paine wasn't  
lying about that. I told her mother I found her on the street. They  
were so thankful to get her back, they didn't ask a lot of questions."  
  
"Good," said Leo. "And if she tells them about me orbing her  
out, they'll just think it was her imagination."  
  
"Well," said Piper, "it's nearly midnight. I think I'm going to bed.   
This has been one heck of a day."  
  
"I'm with you," said Paige.  
  
The next day Paige called everyone into the living room. The  
television was on and one of the local news magazines was  
playing. A man and a woman sat behind a desk giving the local  
news, and commentaries on the news.  
  
"Amanda Blackmon," said the man, "whom we reported as  
being abducted, was returned safely to her parents yesterday by a  
neighbor who found the six year old wandering the streets.   
Amanda claims an angel rescued her from her abductors. She is  
find and doing well."  
  
"Speaking of angels," said the woman, "the Mind Dragon, on  
loan from China, was stolen last night. However, the thief, one  
Harry Paine, was quickly apprehended when he apparently walked  
into a local police station with the dragon in plain sight. The  
authorities don't know how Paine was able to bypass the state of  
the art security on the dragon, but he apparently missed one of the  
surveillance cameras. He was caught on tape red handed stealing  
the dragon. When questioned by the police, Paine claims he was  
framed by, are you ready for this, Mike? An angel and a witch.   
Paine is being held without bond pending a psychiatric evaluation."  
  
"I guess our secret's safe," said Phoebe. "Whatever he tells  
them now, they'll think he's delusional."  
  
"Missed one of the cameras, huh?" questioned Leo, poking  
Piper in the rib.  
  
"Those lights on the cameras don't flash or blink or anything,"  
said Piper. "I figured he wouldn't know if one of them was still  
active."  
  
"And you called me devious," said Leo, smiling.  
  
"Anyway," said Paige, "I'm glad that's over. Maybe now we can  
have a nice, quiet, relaxing Sunday afternoon for a change."  
  
"Hear, hear," said Phoebe. "Who wants popcorn?"  
  
The End  
  
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more of my stories for a  
variety of shows and subjects at  
http://pub57.ezboard.com/bjerrysfanfictionsite. You can also post  
your stories if you like to write fan fiction. 


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